A missile launcher which “cannot be deactivated” has prompted the Danish military to close the Great Belt strait, a route used by cargo ships to access the Baltic Sea.
A mishap involving a missile launcher on a Danish navy ship has halted traffic at one of the world’s busiest sea lanes on Thursday.
An area of the Great Belt strait was closed to air and sea traffic after a missile launcher malfunctioned during a Danish naval exercise.
“The problem occurred during a mandatory test where the missile launcher is activated and cannot be deactivated,” Denmark’s military said in a statement.
“Until the missile launcher is deactivated, there is a risk that the missile can fire and fly a few kilometers away,” the military added.
It was solved later in the evening. They just had to wait for a specialist to show up.
It was not armed, but the lifting rocket alone could potentially do some damage if it hit a passing ship.
“Until the missile launcher is deactivated…”, they say, referring to the missile launcher that “cannot be deactivated”.
Can you just… Unload it so there’s no missile in the missile launcher?
I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.
On an active launcher? Risky.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
A mishap involving a missile launcher on a Danish navy ship has halted traffic at one of the world’s busiest sea lanes on Thursday.
An area of the Great Belt strait was closed to air and sea traffic after a missile launcher malfunctioned during a Danish naval exercise.
“The problem occurred during a mandatory test where the missile launcher is activated and cannot be deactivated,” Denmark’s military said in a statement.
The incident occurred just south of the Great Belt bridge, which connects peninsular Denmark with Copenhagen.
Danish broadcaster DR reported that the launcher was activated but the harpoon missile itself was not armed, so there was no danger of an explosion.
Denmark’s National Maritime Authority said the advisory to halt sea traffic was due to the risk of “falling missile fragments.”
The original article contains 195 words, the summary contains 130 words. Saved 33%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
